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PARIS - Young first five-eighth Lionel Beauxis started the rugby World Cup hoping to play a few matches and finds himself the leader of the French backline about to play England for a place in the final.
"It's going ever so quickly, a bit like in a dream," Beauxis said on Wednesday after finding out he would be in the starting lineup for Saturday's semifinal at the Stade de France.
"I really didn't know what to expect at this World Cup," added the 21-year-old.
"I was hoping to play a few matches but now I've played a quarterfinal and I'm going to play a semifinal. What's happening to me is just amazing."
Third in the pecking order for the number 10 shirt behind David Skrela and Frederic Michalak when the tournament started, Beauxis had started only two matches for France prior to the tournament.
Now he is about to start his third in succession after kicking 24 points in a 64-7 demolition of Georgia in the pool stage and holding his nerve in an astonishing 20-18 quarter-final win over New Zealand last Saturday in Cardiff.
All this is even more remarkable as Beauxis is only first five-eighth number three behind Skrela and Argentina's Juan Martin Hernandez at his club, French champions Stade Francais.
Bernard Laporte likes Beauxis mostly because his kicking prowess perfectly fits the France coach's strategy based on gaining territorial advantage and also because the promising player always shows composure whatever the occasion.
Handling pressure is nothing new to a player who kicked all France's points in their 24-13 win over South Africa in the final of the Under-21 World Cup last year.
Now is he is about to face one of the most famous first five-eighths in the game in England's Jonny Wilkinson but he is not that impressed.
"He's an excellent goalkicker, a good defender and he's very consistent," Beauxis said of Wilkinson. "He can be a match winner but he's not my (role) model. That's (former New Zealand first five-eighth) Andrew Mehrtens."
Beauxis realises the match against England is likely to be a fiercely contested affair but it takes more than that to make him lose his cool.
"England have strong forwards and also talented backs such as Jason Robinson," he said. "They're hanging on and they've got a title to defend. It's going to be a big fight."
- REUTERS
